Tubing rotator



May 24, 1949.

Filed March 22, 1948 D. R. CORMANY TUBING RO'I'AI'OR 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 y 1949- D. R. CORMANY 2,471,198

TUBING ROTATOR Filed r h 22. 48 s Sheets-Sheet s l no i I I08 i I i i I l l u 77 n4 I I as 4 7a 1 i i 77 I I I l 1 I l I 79 I I00 79 i 8 i INVENTOR, 78 I i I I HTTOQNEV Patented May 24, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TUBING ROTATOR David R. Cormany,Long Beac l1, Calif I Application March 22, 1948, Serial No. 16,289

1 Claim.

This invention relates to the oil well drilling industry and it particularly pertains to a new casing head and particularly the mechanism in connection therewith for rotating the tubing during the pumping operation.

It is an object of this invention to provide a casing head in which measured rotation of the tubing during the pumping operation will spread the wear caused by reciprocation of the sucker rods around the inside of the tubing.

It is a further object of this invention to spread the wear around the outside of the tubing by the same measured rotation of the tubing. This wear on the outside of the tubing is caused-by vibration of the tubing couplings and the slight moving or breathing of the tubing against the well casing that is set up by the pumping operation in the well.

It is a further object of the invention to distribute the wear evenly on the outside diameter of the plunger and on the inside diameter of the barrel of the oil well pump that is attached to the bottom of the sucker rods. This is true in both the type of well pump in which the barrel travels and the type in which the plunger travels.

invention also gives a polishing action to the tubingboth on the inside and on the outside at the' points of contact with these contiguous parts and so it helps to reduce corrosion as well as wear. It is a further object of this invention to reduce the wear between the well tubing and its contiguous parts so that the wear does not penetrate the surface hardness of the tubing either on the inside or the outside and thus a groove is not cut in the metal through this crust or surface hardness.

It is a further object of this invention to provide accurate mechanism for measured rotation of the tubing in predetermined decimal dimensions per stroke of the oil well pump.

It is a further object of this invention to provide multiple reduction of rotation by means of a ratchet wheel assembly added to a ring gear and pinion or a worm gear and worm drive.

Other objects and advantages of the invention ,will appear as the description of the invention and drawings proceeds.

Referring to the drawings in which I illustrate a preferred embodiment of my invention:

Figure l is a side elevation of an assembly of my invention with a bevel drive.

Figure 2 is a sectional view along 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a detailed elevation of the actuating ratchet and its actuating arm taken along the line $-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is an elevation of the back lash preventing ratchet taken along the lines l4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a plan view along the lines 5-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 6 is an alternative drive mechanism utilizing a worm drive instead of a bevel drive. Figure 6 is a plan view of this alternative construction. 1

Figure 7 is a sectional view along the lines 1-! of Figure 6 showing the same view as Figure 2,

except that a worm drive like that shown in Figure 6 is used instead of the bevel drive shown in Figure 2.

Referring to the drawings similar numbers are used to indicate the same parts throughout the drawings. and I0 indicates a usual walking beam which is supported on the conventional Sampson post l2 by the usual saddle I4. A horsehead I 6 supports a bridle l8 which in turn is connected to the usual polish rod 20 which has below it the ordinary string of sucker rods which are not shown or given a separate number.

A customary stufiing box 22, flow line connecton 24 and flow line 26 are illustrated in Figure l to orient the invention in the well pumping equipment. A swivel coupling 28 is provided to prevent rotation of the parts below it from affecting the parts above the usual nipple 30 is connected to a string of tubing not shown or numbered.

Turning now to the mechanism of my invention for rotating this nipple and the tubing I provide a ring gear 32 having set screws 34 which removably connect the ring gear 32 to the nipple 30. These set screws 34 perform the dual functions of effecting this connection between the ring gear 32 and the nipple 30 on the one hand and, on the other hand, adjusting the mesh of the pinion 36 with the ring gear 32 and thus they may be said to be combination holders and mesh adjusters.

The pinion 36 is suitably mounted on the pinion shaft 38 which in turn is mounted on the front pinion shaft bearing holder 40 with its 3 oilite bearing 4| at the front end *and the rear pinionshaft bearing cap 42 with its oilitebearing 44, both of which are held in place by the bearing cap bolt 43 shown in Figure 5. A pillow block bearing holder 48 serves 'to support the rear end of the pinion shaft.

Mounted beside the pillow block bearing holder 48 is the actuating arm bearing 48, the other end of which is the actuating arm 58. On the other side of the pillow block bearing holder 48 is mounted the back lash prevention mechanism which consists of the back lashpreventing ratchet finger 49 which acts against the teeth of the back lash prevention ratchet wheel 58, urged by the action of spring 5I. Calibrations 58 indicate the movement of back lash prevention ratchet wheel 58 and shouldered bolt 53 holds the back lash prevention ratchet finger 49 in place.

The pinion shaft 38 with its connected train of mechanism is actuated by the actuating ratchet wheel 54 which is keyed to the pinion shaft 38 by key 55. calibrations 52 indicate the rotation of the actuating ratchet wheel 54 which has a hub 51 as is clearly shown in Figure 5. An actuating ratchet finger 68, similar in appearance to ratchet finger 49, is attached by shoulder bolt 82 to actuating arm 58 and is held by spring 84 in engagement with the ratchet teeth of actuating ratchet wheel 54. Rotation of actuating ratchet wheel 54 is effected by elevation of actuating arm chain 88 which in turn raises actuating arm 58 and causes actuating ratchet finger 88 to move actuating. ratchet wheel 54 a circular distance equal to the proportion of the circumference of actuating wheel 54 that one ratchet of on that wheel. In other words, each time that arm 58 is raised it moves actuating ratchet wheel in a circumferential direction a distance equal to one of its ratchets. .This effects measured rotation of pinion shaft 38, its connected pinion 38, ring gear 32, nipple 38 and the tubing attached integrally to nipple 38. It is obvious therefore that the amount of rotation of the tubing depends upon the size and number of teeth in actuating ratchet wheel 54.

Movement of actuating arm 58 through actuating arm chain 88 is effected by action of walking beam I8 to which the other end of actuating arm 88 is connected as is seen in Figure 1. Thus actuating ratchet wheel 54 moves one ratchet circumferentially every time that walking beam I8 makes acomplete movement.

This power train is supported on pillow block bearing base 88 which is connected by base bolts 18 to housing flange 11. A flanged top 12 is connected by housing top bolts 14 to housing 18 which has a flange 11. This housing flange I1 is bolted by well head flange bolts 18 to well head flange 88 as is shown in Figure 2. Housing flange I1 and well head flange 88 are sealed by 0 ring I9 between them. 0 rings 82 seal the nipple 38 and the flanged top 12 and O ring 84 effects a seal between flanged top 12 and housing 18.

A tubing actuating spinner plate 88 is welded to nipple 38 and mounted on top ball race 88 which in turn rests on ball bearings 98, which are supported by bottom ball race 92. v

In the variation of my invention shown in Figure 2 with the pinion drive I provide a selfaligning bearing ring 94 which has a radial contact 96 between it and the bottom of the bottom ball race 92. A downwardly facing shoulder 98 in spinner plate 88 and an upwardly facing shoulder I88 in housing flange 71 receive and contain the ball race assembly in order to make andmaintainthe races concentric and registering with each other.

In the alternative construction shown in Figures 6 and 7 I substitute for the pinion drive means a worm drive consisting of worm gear I82 which is driven by worm I84, connected to worm shaft I88 and worm hub I88. A key II8 connects worm shaft I88 to worm hub I88. Bolts II2 connect worm gear I82 with spinner plate 88 and bolts II4 connect housing I8 to housing flange II.

It is noted that.self-aligning bearing ring 94 withits radial surface contact 98 is omitted from the worm gear structure shown in Figures 6 and 7 in which bottom ball race 92 is substantially a one piece constructionof bottom ball race 92 and self-aligning bearing ring 94 as shown in Figure 2.

The mode of operation of my invention is obvious from my drawings and is very simple. Each time that walking beam I8 is raised it also raises polish rod 28 and its attached string of sucker can be accurately predetermined to a decimal that wheel bears to the total number of ratchets dimension. This rotation of actuating ratchet -wheel 54 effects a similar rotation through a similar percentage of the complete rotation cycle of pinion shaft 38 due to the keyed connection 'gear 32.

wheel 54. This rotation of pinion shaft 38 effects proportionate rotation of pinion 38 and ring This rotation of ring gear 32 effects proportionate rotation of nipple 38 and its attached string of tubing through the connection 34 between ring gear 32 and nipple 38. By this train of mechanism the tubing attached to nipple 38 is rotated an exact dimensional amount each time that walking beam- I8 is raised.

Back lash rotation or rotation in a reverse direction of the tubing is prevented by the back lash prevention assembly shown in Figure 4 which operates in an obvious manner. Back lash prevention ratchet wheel 58 is integrally connected to pinion 38 and hence through ring gear 32 and nipple 38 with the tubing connected to nipple 38. When this tubing attempts to rotate in the opposite direction after it has been moved forward by the mechanism described above this back lash will be prevented and arrested by the ratchets on back lash prevention wheel 58 engaging back lash prevention ratchet finger 49 which is pivotally mounted on shouldered bolt 53 and held in engagement with the ratchet teeth of wheel 58 by spring 5|. In this connection it is to be noted that there are more ratchet teeth in back lash prevention ratchet wheel 58 than there are in actuating rachet wheel 54. This is done tomake sure that all back lash is prevented as there might be an overlap if there was more cir- "bumferential rotation permitted by the back lash prevention mechanism than by the actuating ratchet mechanism. My casing head is easily and readily attached to the standard flanged well head 88, which is provided on all wells, by the simple operation of bolting housing flange 11 to well head flange 88 by 38 and to make the proper mesh engagement bee tween ring gear 32 and pinion 36. :In the varia' tion shown inFlgures 6 and 7 utilizing a worm drive instead of a pinion drive housing flangemeansof bolts 18., Set screws '34 may then be adjusted to hold nipple 11 is similarly bolted'to well head flange 8|!v by bolts 16 and decimal dimensional rotationof nipple 30 is efi'ectedby actuation of theworm gear the desired controlled amount. Actuationoi the ner plate 86 which is boltedto it by bolts 2, a

The tubing actuating spinner plate 861s welded integrally to-the nipple 30 so rotation of the tubing actuating spinner plate 86 effects similar rotation of the nipple 30 and its attached string of tubing. In the variation shown in Figure 2 of the drawings spinner plate 86 is also ball race 88 upon which tubing ner plate 86 rests.

While I have shown and described'in somede-x tail two presently preferred embodiments or my automatic tubing rotator it-is to be understood that various modifications may be made in thejconstruction and operation thereof within the scope of the subsequently. claimed invention I claim: I

Tubing rotating mechanism for a well appa- 3 ratus including va casing within the well-and a worm gear rotates the tubing actuating 'spinabove the upper end of the casing,

tubing coaxially therewith; a shaft journaled-flin bearing supports carried-by saidhousing; a drive ing gear secured to said shaft in me shlng en-yr gagement'withfsaid driven gear, said'gears af- I fording areduction of speed of rotation of-said tubing relative tosaid. shaft,. a' toothed ratchet wheel secured to said shaft, an actuating" arm pivotally mounted on said shaft, a ratchet finger "on, said arm for' engagement with the teeth of said ratchet wheel for intermittent unidirectional rotation of said /sha'ft upon oscillation of'said arm, and means for oscillating said arm; I

DAVID R-.Q MANY 'HREFERENCES. crran said'me'cliae 1 1 'nism comprising a ho'usinghaving a flanged .baise secured to the upper end of the casing 'andssii'r-f 5 rounding the tubing, a spinner plate fixed tothe tubing, an antifricti'oni bearing-positioned b e-' tween said-spinherplate and the flanged base' or v e said housing for supporting and permitting'rota- V 1 tion of the tubing, a driven. gear secured't'n" said- The followin g re erences are .of record the -fi lefoi'zthislpatent i' .Unr'rEp' 's'T TE's PATENTS- Y Number 1,653,510 0 1,662,984 2,180,880

2,294,061 tubing within. the casing extending upwardly 

